Paged Judicature Act Cap. 8 - No. 16 of 1967

1 LAWS OF KENYA Judicature ACT CHAPTER 8 Revised Edition 2012 [2010] Published by the National Council for Law Reporting with the Authority of the Attorney-General [Rev. 2012] CAP. 8 Judicature 3 [Issue 1] CHAPTER 8 Judicature ACT ARRANGEMENT OF SECTIONS Section 1. Short title. 2. Interpretation. 3. Mode of exercise of jurisdiction. 4. High Court is court of admiralty. 5. Contempt of court. 6. Protection of judges and officers. 7. Number of Judges of Appeal and the High Court.

2 8. Precedence of judges and of judges of appeal. 9. Retiring age. 10. Rules. 11. Spent. SCHEDULE [Rev. 2012] CAP. 8 Judicature 5 [Issue 1] CHAPTER 8 Judicature ACT [Date of assent: 4th July, 1967.] [Date of commencement: 1st August, 1967.] An Act of Parliament to make provision concerning the jurisdiction of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and subordinate courts, and to make additional provision concerning the High Court, the Court of Appeal and subordinate courts and the judges and officers of courts [Act No.]

3 16 of 1967, Act No. 8 of 1968, Act No. 4 of 1975, Act No. 6 of 1976, Act No. 14 of 1977, Act No. 6 of 1979, 162/1980, Act No. 12 of 1981, Act No. 19 of 1982, Act No. 10 of 1983, Act No. 19 of 1984, 65/1984, 275/1990, Act No. 10 of 1997, Act No. 7 of 2007, Act No. 10A of 2012.] 1. Short title This Act may be cited as the Judicature Act. 2. Interpretation In this Act, judge means the Chief Justice or a judge appointed under Article 166(5) of the Constitution or a judge of appeal appointed under Article 166(4) of the Constitution and includes acting appointments.

4 [Act No. 14 of 1977, Sch., Act No. 10A of 2012, s. 2.] 3. Mode of exercise of jurisdiction (1) The jurisdiction of the High Court, the Court of Appeal and of all subordinate courts shall be exercised in conformity with (a) the Constitution; (b) subject thereto, all other written laws, including the Acts of Parliament of the United Kingdom cited in Part I of the Schedule to this Act, modified in accordance with Part II of that Schedule.

5 (c) subject thereto and so far as those written laws do not extend or apply, the substance of the common law, the doctrines of equity and the statutes of general application in force in England on the 12th August, 1897, and the procedure and practice observed in courts of justice in England at that date: Provided that the said common law, doctrines of equity and statutes of general application shall apply so far only as the circumstances of Kenya and its inhabitants permit and subject to such qualifications as those circumstances may render necessary.

6 (2) The High Court, the Court of Appeal and all subordinate courts shall be guided by African customary law in civil cases in which one or more of the parties is subject to it or affected by it, so far as it is applicable and is not repugnant to justice and morality or inconsistent with any written law, and shall decide all such cases according to substantial justice without undue regard to technicalities of procedure and without undue delay. [Act No. 14 of 1977, Sch.] CAP. 8 [Rev. 2012] Judicature [Issue 1] 6 4.

7 High Court is court of admiralty (1) The High Court shall be a court of admiralty, and shall exercise admiralty jurisdiction in all matters arising on the high seas, or in territorial waters, or upon any lake or other navigable inland waters in Kenya. (2) The admiralty jurisdiction of the High Court shall be exercisable (a) over and in respect of the same persons, things and matters; and (b) in the same manner and to the same extent; and (c) in accordance with the same procedure, as in the High Court in England, and shall be exercised in conformity with international laws and the comity of nations.

8 (3) In the exercise of its admiralty jurisdiction, the High Court may exercise all the powers which it possesses for the purpose of its other civil jurisdiction. (4) An appeal shall lie from any judgment, order or decision of the High Court in the exercise of its admiralty jurisdiction within the same time and in the same manner as an appeal from a decree of the High Court under Part VII of the Civil Procedure Act (Cap. 21). 5. Contempt of court (1) The High Court and the Court of Appeal shall have the same power to punish for contempt of court as is for the time being possessed by the High Court of Justice in England, and such power shall extend to upholding the authority and dignity of subordinate courts.

9 (2) An order of the High Court made by way of punishment for contempt of court shall be appealable as if it were a conviction and sentence made in the exercise of the ordinary original criminal jurisdiction of the High Court. [Act No. 14 of 1977, Sch.] 6. Protection of judges and officers No judge or magistrate, and no other person acting judicially, shall be liable to be sued in a civil court for an act done or ordered by him in the discharge of his judicial duty, whether or not within the limits of his jurisdiction, provided he, at the time, in good faith believed himself to have jurisdiction to do or order the act complained of.

10 And no officer of a court or other person bound to execute the lawful warrants, orders or other process of a judge or such person shall be liable to be sued in any court for the execution of a warrant, order or process which he would have been bound to execute if within the jurisdiction of the person issuing it. [Act No. 10 of 1983, Sch.] 7. Number of Judges of Appeal and the High Court (1) The Court of Appeal shall consist of not more than thirty judges. (2) The High Court shall consist of not more than one hundred and fifty judges [Act No.]